"I have been privileged to stay in some very special places on this journey so far, but ‘Marina Frapa’ is probably the place I would most look forward to returning to for a holiday"
By the time I arrived, the absolutely stunning 'Marina Frapa' in
Rogoznica, the band may have long gone, but the welcome party led
by the Director, Jure Mula (picture) and Marketing Manager, Branmir
Jakircevic was a joy to see; not only for their welcome, but for
the ice cool selection of fruit juices and water which they had
provided.
I had a quick shower and then went on a short tour of the
marina, which is certainly amongst the most beautiful and best
equipped on the Adriatic, if not the Mediterranean. The array of
luxury yachts confirms that they are a favoured place for the
'discerning client'.
The marina is the vision of a visionary entrepreneur called
Franjo Pasalic, who developed the marina from scratch over a period
of fifteen years. It is a good lesson in the power of development
because with the marina, came first the shops and the restaurants
to service the high level clientele of the marina at the marina
itself. The marina now employs around 150 people directly, but
sustains the growing town of Rogoznica, as the employees at the
marina need somewhere to live and they in turn need shops,
supermarkets etc. Because the town was attracting attention for its
prestigious marina, property developers saw it as a place where
non-sailors might want to come on holiday and mix with the 'rich
and famous' etc. etc. What has been a struggling small fishing
village of a few hundred, has now grown into a thriving town of
several thousand, providing vital jobs for the local population.
But without visionaries prepared to take a risk and local officials
prepared to support that vision through planning, then this would
never have happened. Moreover without positive welcoming staff, it
could not be sustained.
I have been privileged to stay in some very special places on
this journey so far, but 'Marina Frapa' is probably the place I
would most look forward to returning to for a holiday-now there's a
thought to get the legs moving again.
Lord Michael Bates
source:
http://www.walkfortruce.org/daily-diary/day-125-trogir-to-rogoznica-18-1-miles-36200-steps/